PERMFILE134108

• Permit No: C1980007A
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 6/6/2003
• Section_Exhibit Name: Exhibit 51 Lower Refuse Pile
• Media Type: D
• Archive: Yes

Mountain Coal Company, L.L.C. Exhibit 51
West Elk Mine ~ Lower Refuse Pile
• 1.0 INTRODUCTION
i
Mountain Coal Company. L.L.C. (MCC), operator of the West Elk Mine located near Somerset, Colorado
revised its Permit No. C-80-007, issued by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (CD1v1G) in
July of 1981 to include a temporary coal refuse disposal area. A revision was made in August of 1985 to
construct a permanent refuse disposal area known as the lower refuse pile (LRP). In March of 1993, [he
permit was revised to accommodate a new mine access road and to reconfigure the final phase of the LRP.
In March, 1996. a revision was submitted to reconfieure the final phase of the LRP to allow placement
of an additional 360,000-cy of coal refuse. The additional capacit}' was achieved by utilizing the
benches on the north and east LRP slopes and placing the refuse at a 2H:1 V grade.
The LRP is primarily located in a portion of Section 10, Township 13 South, Range 90 West of the 6th
P.M., within coordinates 1,447,500 to 1,447,70 east and 404,20 to 404,00 north on land owned by MCC.
The LRP will ultimately disturb approximately 25 acres immediately east of the existing surface facilities,
south of Colorado Highway 133 and west of Sylvester Gulch. The surface elevation at the top of the pile
will be approximately 6330 feet. The LRP has been designed and will be constructed and maintained to
prevent combustion, insure stability and protection against adverse impacts on water quality, water flow,
and veeetation, and so as not to create a public health hazard. The LRP will be used for the life of the
mine. Upon final reclamation of the refuse pile, haul road, and appurtenant structures, the land will be
returned to use as rangeland and wildlife habitat.
Section 2.04 of the West Elk Mining and Reclamation Plan (MRP) provides information about the land to
• be disturbed with respect to land use. site description. cultural and historic resources, soils, vegetation, and
fish and wildlife. In order to collect comprehensive and unbiased environmental baseline data for the West
` ~ Elk Mine, an environmental study area extending from 1/2 to 1 mile outside of the mine plan boundary and
encompassing approximately 25,000 acres of land was established. The study area is illustrated on Map 3
of the MRP. The area disturbed by the construction of the permanent lower refuse pile is included within
the environmentalstudy area.
The following summarizesthe information in Section 2.04 of the MRP as it relates to the lower refuse pile.
Land Use The premining land use is rangeland supporting big game (deer and elk). Surrounding
land uses are described in Section 2.04.3 of the MRP.
Site Description The site is bounded on the north by State Highway 133, to the south by the mine's
main access and haul road and rangeland and woodland supportive big game (deer and elk), as well
as livestock (cattle and horses), to the east by Sylvester Gulch (ephemeral stream) and to the west
by the West Elk Mine surface facilities area.
Cultural and Historical As described in Section 2.04.4 of the MRP, an archaeological
reconnaissance of the environmental study area was conducted. No cultural or historical sites are
located in the area reviewed.
Soils The soils within the lower refuse pile site are of the Fugues loam type. For a specific
description, see Exhibit 27 and Map 41 (soils map) of the MRP.